July 1, 2025 Devo

My family made a trip back to Ohio last month to visit Wanda’s family. It was a nice trip with a few sightseeing stops along the way. One of the observations we made as we drove from Oklahoma to Ohio was how green everything was. It’s not unusual for many places to be brown from the heat and lack of rain, but not this year. Everything looked lush and healthy.
Oklahoma has been particularly blessed with rain this year. In fact, for the first time in five years, there are no drought conditions anywhere in the state at this time. And while many people don’t really care for the spring rain and violent storms that can erupt, they are a necessity to our farmers and ranchers and those who work the land. They are also pretty important to those who like to swim and fish, and enjoy the lakes and rivers. And while we complain about the heat during the more brutally hot years, I wonder if we take time to thank God in the years of abundant rain?
I thought about that as I read our verse for today. God caring for His world is one of the many “subtle blessings” that we often take for granted. When we got up this morning, and were able to walk and talk and see and eat and breathe…were we THANKFUL? When we enjoyed the taste of that bagel or that first drink of coffee or that delicious lunch, were we grateful for having more than enough to eat every day of our lives? How about those friends and family we couldn’t imagine living without? There is SO MUCH of our lives that we simply take in every single day and ALL OF THEM are gifts from our Father’s Hand. Blessings we don’t even think of as blessings. That is, until they’re gone. Then we remember.
Let’s take a moment today to thank God for His “subtle blessings.” See how many you can name. What you’ll discover is that they really aren’t “subtle” at all. They’re HUGE. They are a part of the “mercies that are new every morning” that He gives us out of His Grace and Love, and they are the things that make our lives wonderful and sweet. So thank God for the subtle blessings. Because when your health fails or the lean times come or the rains stop or that loved one is gone, they won’t be so subtle anymore. That’s God’s Word for you today.